Figure Out What That Button Does With Audi’s Augmented-Reality App

Photo: Audi

We enjoy a grease-stained Chilton’s repair guide as much as the next gearhead, but the idea of a traditional owner’s manual is getting outmoded. Audi agrees, and its latest app gives A3 owners all the information they need without ever having to open the glove box.

Using an augmented-reality app designed by Metaio, anyone with an iPhone and an A3 can get instant information about everything from the location of the coolant reservoir to what the hell that button is on the dash.

The eKurzinfo app recognizes over 300 different elements around the A3, and displays pop-ups with short, simple explanations of what things are, what they do, and how to service them. The app uses both 2-D and 3-D tracking technology to understand what the owner is looking at, and since eKurzinfo is linked with Metaio’s cloud-connected infrastructure, there’s no need to update the app — new information or user-requested features can be pushed directly to the device.